School-desk.



A. B. TALLMAN, DEGD.

B. V TALLMAN, EXEOUTRIX.

SCHOOL DESK. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1912. 1, 1 01,353. Patented June 23, 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D c.

TED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

ALANSON B. TALLMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; BER'II-IA VANTISIA T'ALLMAN EXEGUTRIX OF SAID ALANSON B. TALLMAN, DECEASED.

SCHOOL-DESK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALANSON B. TALL- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in School Desks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in school desks and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

School desks are usually made in graded sizes to suit children of different ages and in different school grades or classes, and a uniform size of desk is adopted for each class-room of the several grades, adapted to fit the boy or girl of average size in that grade. But as the pupils in any class-room are not only apt to vary in age but also pupils of the same age are apt to vary in size, this fixed uniformity in the sizes of the desks is objectionable because for some of the pupils the desktop or the seat, either or both, will be too high or too low, causing them to slouch in their seats or occupy other positions, neither conducive to an orderly appearance of the room nor to the physical health of the pupil.

The object of the present invention is to produce a school-desk at once practical and economical, and in which both the seat and the desk-top may be raised in level so as to accommodate the physical requirements of each individual pupil.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a view representing a central vertical section through my improved desk. Fig. 2 is a view representing a partial vertical section through the seat of the desk in a plane indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view representing a partial vertical section through the top of the desk in the plane indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a view representing a partial vertical section of the desk in a plane indicated by the line 4.1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view representing in elevation one of the side frame members of the desk. Fig. 6 is a view representing in elevation one of the auxiliary side frame members to which the top of the desk is attached. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an angle bar used in support of the desk seat.

Referring now to that embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, 10 indicates two side frame members which are spaced apart and provide support for a seat 11 and a seat-back 12 and for a desk-top 13 for the use of the one occupying the seat immediately back of the desk, in the usual manner. Said frame members, as illustrated herein, each have upright legs 14, 15 and 16 connected at their lower ends by a horizontal fiat bar 17 that rests directly against the floor. The leg 14 has an upright extension 18 provided with a transverse flange 19 against which the seat-back 12 is secured. and with a horizontal shoulder 20 upon which the lower horizontal edge of the seat-back 12, rests. The leg 16 is spaced forwardly from the leg 14; and is connected thereto by means of a horizontal member 21. The rear leg 15 is inclined rearwardly and a wide base for the desk is thus provided. A rear open frame member 18 made integral with the upright member 18 serves to support the desk-top, as will presently appear.

In the upright frame member 18, below the shoulder 20, are provided a plurality of vertically arranged spaced holes or apertures 22 adapted to receive a rod 23 (see Fig. 4B) which has a head 24: at one end and is threaded at the other end to receive a nut 26. Said rod forms part of the means for connecting the two side frame members together. The seat 11 is attached to parallel, laterally spaced bars 25 which have rear end parts 25 curved upwardly above the seat 11, said end parts being placed next the inner faces of the side frames and being provided with eyes to receive the rod 23 with which said bars have supporting engagement. The seat 11 being rigidly connected to the bars 25 serves to brace said bars apart and they in turn act to hold the side frames in proper spaced relation. Spacing bosses 27 are preferably provided on the end parts 25 on those faces of the bars that are adjacent to the side frame.

The seat 11 is supported near its forward edge by means of angle bars 28, 28, there being an angle bar secured to the leg 16 of each side frame. Said angle bars 28 have horizontal members 29 to which is secured a horizontal bar 30 extending between the side frames of the desk. have each a vertical member provided with a plurality of equispaced vertically arranged apertures 31 adapted to be engaged by a pin or boss 32. fixed on the inner face of the leg member of the adjacent side frame. Said leg member also has a horizontal aperture spaced from said pin or bolt a distance equal to the spaces between the apertures 31 or a multiple thereof, so that a bolt 33 may be passed through the aperture in said leg 16 and through one of the apertures in the vertical part of the angle bar 28 to rigidly secure said-angle bar to the said leg. It is apparent that by the construction described the seat 11 may be adjusted within comparatively wide limits to vary its level above the floor, it being simply necessary to remove the bolts 33 and the rod 24: and then replace them when the seat has been placed at the desired level. So that the pin or boss 32 may pass readily from one hole to the next in making this adjustment without making it necessary tospring the side frames, which are attached to the floor, more than a short distance beyond the vertical plane that they would normally occupy, the face of the up right member of the angle-bar 28 next adjacent to the side frame is provided with a vertical groove 31*. The holes 31 in the angle bars and the holes 22 in the side frame are numbered as indicated by the numerals a, so that the seat may be certainly placed in a horizontal position without depending upon 1 the eye alone. In order to view the numbers on the angle-bar, a notch Z) is cut in the side frame (see Fig. 5) through which one of said numbers will be seen when the hole corresponding to that number is brought into position to be engaged by the bolt 33. The holes 22 in the side frames likewise have index numerals a, which appear on the outer faces of the frames.

The desk-top 13 is directly attached to the auxiliary side frames attached to the inner faces of the main side frame and each having an inclined top member 35 and front and rear upright members 36, 37. The latter are connected together by a horizontal member 38 provided with a horizontal flange to receive the usual shelf 39 that is located below the desk-top. The upright members 36, 37 of the auxiliary side frames each have a plurality of equi-spaced vertically arranged holes or openings 40 to receive bolts 4-1 which are secured in suitable apertures in the main side frames. The level of the desktop may be readily adjusted by this construc tion to suit the needs of the pupil sitting in the desk-seat back of the one described. The

auxiliary side frames are provided with nu- Said angle bars merals 0, indicating the holes 40, and the side frames with notches (Z, through which said numerals may be viewed, as in the other case.

Both the angle bars 28 and the auxiliary frame members 34: are preferably arranged on the inner faces of the main side frame 'members 10, as described, and the desk-top 13 and the seat 11 are extended laterally beyond the side frames when the parts are in assembled relation, so that the desk is, in appearance, the same as if it were not provided with the adjustable features.

The frame members are preferably made of metal as in the usual desk construction, while the seat, seat-back and desk-top and shelf are made of wood. The connecting bar 30 also, as shown, is made of wood. The inclined rear members 15 of the main side frames are connected near their'lower ends by a bar 42 which serves as a foot rest and also as a means for holding thebottoms of the frames in spaced relation.

l/Vhile in describing my invention I have referred to certain details of mechanical construction and arrangement, it is to be understood that I am to be in no way limited thereto except as pointed out in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention In a school desk in combination with laterally spaced side frames, and a seat extending transversely of said side frames, and supported thereon, a vertically arranged back extending transversely of said side frames, said side frames being each provided with a plurality of vertically spaced holes, substantially in vertical alinement with said back, a transversely extending rod adapted for engagement in said holes, said seat being hinged on said rod, a pin fixed on the inner face of each side frame in a position forward of said vertically spacedholes, a detachable boltmounted in each side frame in a position vertically spaced from said pin, an angle-bar for each sideframe provided with a plurality of vertically spaced holes adapted for engagement by said pin and by said bolt, said angle-bar being provided on its face adjacent the side frame with a vertical groove connecting said holes, and a transverse bar connecting said angle-bars and adapted for the support of said seat near its forward edge.

In testimony'that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses, this 14th day of September A. D. 1912.

ALANSON B. TALLMAN. ll itnesses CLARENCE E. MEHILHOPE, T. H. ALrREDs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

